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If a criminal carries a gun, the victim will just take it away

Posted by David Hardy · 30 October 2006 10:32 AM

I've mentioned before that the belief that "if a person uses a gun in self-defense, the criminal will just take it away and use it on him" seems to be pure urban legend. I have yet to encounter a case where that happened. On the other hand, victims from time to time do disarm gun-using criminals. I've noted cases of that here and here and here.

My guess as to why defenders are so successful, and attackers not: defenders actually have a motive to try that dangerous tactic (here, she was a mother with two kids whose apartment had been invaded), and offenders are often impaired by alcohol or drugs, and also distracted. The defender is thinking only of defense or escape, the attacker is concerned with controlling them, looting the scene, and keeping an eye out for police.